Coin controlled amusement apparatus



March 1942- B. s. WATLING CO IN CONTROLLED AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed May 27; 1940 s Sheets-Shetl CI "Iii March 31, 1942. B. s. WATLING COIN CONTRGLLED AMUSEMENT APPARATUS 3 ShetsASheet 2 Filed May '27, 1940 March 31, 1942. a. s'. WATLING,

COIN CONTROLLEDAMUSEIENT APPARATUS Filed May 27,1940

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 31, 1942 UNlTED STATES COIN CONTROLLED AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Burns S. Watling, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Watling Scale Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May 27, 1940, Serial No. 337,404

11 Claims.

This invention pertains to coin controlled amusement apparatus of a general type disclosed in Letters Patent to Thomas W. B. Watling, No. 1,923,287 granted August 22, 1933, and in Letters Patent to Burns S. Watling No. 2,124,838, granted July 26, 1938. In the said patents a fortune telling mechanism is combined in a single apparatus with a weighing scale, both being controlled by a common coin-actuated means.

My present invention relates solely to the coincontrolled fortune telling apparatus, although I have herein shown the same combined with a weighing scale substantially identical with that disclosed in the aforementioned patents. But

the invention may be used independently of any L weighing scale.

The main object of the present invention has been to improve and simplify the fortune telling apparatus of my aforesaid Patent No. 2,124,838, the improvements relating mainly to the shutter and shutter actuating mechanism which cooperate with a sight opening through which the answers t the questions disclosed are made visible on deposit of a proper coin; and to the structure of the drums and drum mountings on which the band carrying the questions and answers is mounted.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is presented in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a top plan view of a combined weighing and fortune telling machine embodying the present improvements.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, broken off at its upper end and broken out between its ends, and having the front wall of its casing broken out to disclose internal parts.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical front-to-rear section viewed on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the shutter in retracted position in which it uncovers the sight opening through which the answers are visible.

Fig. 5 is a side-to-side substantially vertical section, viewed on the line 5-5 of-Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the winding drums and the band that is wound back and forth therebetween.

Fig. 7 is a detail elevation of a star wheel cam and a shutter closing lever actuated thereby.

Fig. 8 is a vertical axial section through one of the winding drums and its manually operated actuating mechanism, viewed on the line 88 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a vertical section taken on the line 9--9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is an end elevation of one of the winding drums, viewed on the line Ill-40 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 11 is a perspective elevation On a reduced scale of one of the winding drums.

Fig. 12 is a sectional detail of a pair of friction drags, taken on the line l2-I2 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 13 is a vertical section taken on the line i3-I3 of Fig. 8.

First briefly describing parts that are old and are more fully described in the aforesaid patents, the frame or casing comprises a base I3, an upright portion 14 and an upper portion or cap I5. The scale platform 16 is connected through a rod H, a yoke 18, and other connections (not shown) to a pair of pivotally suspended pendulum weights that counter balance the weight on the platform and are normally locked against swinging movement by a dogging lever I9 engaged with a ratchet wheel 20. 2! designates the coin chute, across the lower end of which lies one end of a lever 22 pivoted at 23 and carrying on its other end an adjustable counter weight 24. The lever 23 is delicately poised to close the lower end of chute 2|, and, when struck by a falling coin, rocks and discharges the coin; and at the same time a loop or eye 25 on the lever strikes a foot 23 on the lower end of a link rod 21 that is suspended from the outer end of lever 19 and passes through the loop or eye 25, thus unlocking the Weighing mechanism. The latter, when operated, rotates a scale disc 23 (Fig. l), the scale of which is visible through a central opening 29 in the front top wall of the casing cap l5.

The amusement or fortune telling apparatus, in which the novel features of the present inven tion reside, is mounted in the upper rear part of the cap or top portion 15 of the casing. At-

tached to the inner side of the front wall portion of the cap [5 is a mounting frame for most of the movable parts, consisting of a single front plate 30 secured by a bracket lug 3| and screws 32 to the front wall, a pair of independent triangular rear plate 33 parallel with said front plate, and connecting and spacing bolts 34. Journaled in and between the frame plates 30 and 33 are a pair of shafts 35 and 36, on which are loosely mounted a pair of drums designated as entireties by A and B (Fig. 6), and attached at its ends to, and wound back and forth between these drums, is :a long flexible band C that also passes over a fiat sheet metal support 31 extending between and at its ends curled around the upper pair of tie bolts 34. This support 31 defines a flat horizontal stretch of the band, as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The band C carries a rear row or series of questions disposed side by side lengthwise of the band which are exposed to view through an elongated sight opening 38 (Fig. 1) in the rear top wall of the cap [5, and it also carries a front row or series of answers, each occupying the central portion of the same space lengthwise of the band as one of the questions, which, as the band is moved, are brought into register one at a time with a short sight opening 39 (Fig. 1) that is laterally opposite the central portion of the question view opening 38. As best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the two view openings 38 and 39 may be, and preferably are, formed by securing to the under side of a single rectangular opening 46 a glass plate 4| entirely covering the opening 48 and having on its under side an opaque paint indicated at 42 so applied as to define the transparent openings 38 and 39. This is a somewhat simpler and cheaper mode of defining the separate openings 38 and 39 than by forming them separately in and through the top plate of the cap l5.

The band winding mechanism is substantially the same as that disclosed in my former Patent No. 2,124,838. The drum A is turned by a manually operated knob or crank, and the two drums are interconnected by a belt and pulley drive of special construction (later described), including means by which either drum may function as the winding member and may, through the band, rotate the other drum functioning as the unwinding member, a light friction drag being applied to both drums to keep the band taut; and the driving members of the two drums are drivingly connected to the latter by means which automatically disengage the drive of the unwinding drum when the drive of the winding drum is engaged, so as to take care of the varying angular movements of the two drums as the effective diameters of the latter change when winding the band from one drum onto the other.

Describing the drums, which are of identical structure, and referring mainly to Figs. 8 to 11,

each drum consists of a rear head 43 that is centrally apertured to have a bearing fit on the shaft 35 or 36, a front head or annulus 44, and a cylindrical body member 45. This cylindrical body member is formed on its ends with spaced projecting lugs or fingers 46 that are passed through narrow slots in the heads 43 and 44 and then bent down against the outer sides of said heads. The drum thus formed is removably mounted on a drum support or carrier preferably taking the form of a circular group of rods 4'! that, at their front ends, are permanently mounted in a plate preferably made as a disc 48, the disc 46 pertaining to drum A having peripheral ratchet teeth 49. The other ends of the rods 41 are each formed with a neck 58 and a head 5!, and the drum head 43 is formed with a corresponding group of key-hole slots 52 (Fig. The head 43 is applied to the rods 41 by entering the heads 5| through the circular portions of the key-hole slots, and the head 43 is then turned slightly to bring the necks 56 into the narrow portions of the key-hole slots. To lock the head 43 against accidental backturning, a guard strip 53 is riveted at one end at 54 to the outer side of the drum head 43 and is formed in its other end with a hole 55 of sufficient size to fit down over the head 5| of one of the rods 41. A cotter pin a washer 35 and a spacing sleeve 35 (Fig. 8)

confine the disc 48 against lateral movement inwardly along shaft 35.

The lugs or fingers 46 securely lock the cylindrical body against any endwise movement relatively to the heads 43 and 44. The end of the band C has riveted thereto a tab 56 which is provided with a slot 51 that engages with a metal tongue 58 attached to the drum body 45.

Also, for greater convenience in removing the frame plate 33 and the drum from the rods 41, the tie bolts 34 have threaded end engaged by knurled thumb nuts 59 (Fig. 8) which are readily applied and backed off without requiring the use of a wrench.

Fast on the inner ends of the shafts 35 and 36 are grooved pulleys 68 and 6| connected by an endless belt 62 that consists of an elastic wire coil that is stretched over the pulleys under enough tension to develop sufficient friction to drive either drum from the other during normal band winding operations, but will slip on the pulleys when the band has been fully unwound from drum A to prevent a breaking strain being imparted to the band if the winding movement of drum B should be continued beyond that point.

To wind the band in either direction manual power is applied to the shaft 35. Referring to Fig. 8, keyed on the outer end of shaft 35 is a gear 63, the hub of which is journaled in a bearing in the frame plate 38. Journaled in a bearing boss 64 (Fig. 1) on the front wall of the cap I5 is a shaft 65, on the inner end of which is keyed a pinion 66 meshing with and driving the gear 63; the hub of pinion 66 being also journaled in the frame wall 30. On the outer end of shaft is a manually operable knob 61. On the inner face of the hub of gear 63 are a pair of pins 68 that extend through arcuate slots 69 (Fig. 7) of a star wheel cam 16 that is journaled on shaft 35 and lies next to the hub of ear 63 and its bearing. The pins 68 extend into holes in a pawl carrier disc H (Fig. 9) that is journaled on the shaft 35 next to the cam 16; and mounted in the disc H is a pawl shaft 12 that extends through a short arcuate slot 13 in a friction disc 14 that is rotatably mounted on the hub of a ratchet l5 journaled on the shaft 35. Pivoted on the inner end of the pawl shaft 12 is a pawl 16, the nose of which is adapted to drivingly engage the ratchet 15, as shown in Fig. 13. The ratchet 15 in turn carries a pair of short pins 11 that extend through arcuate slots 18 (Fig. 6) in the disc 48. In the friction disc 14 is formed a cam slot 19 (Figs. 9 and 13) that is engaged by a lateral pin on the side of the pawl 16.

In the case of the drum B, the drive of the drum is from its pulley 6| and shaft 36 to the disc 48' (Fig. 5) that corresponds to the disc 48 of the drum A through a pawl and ratchet lost motion drive similar to the above described in connection with drum A. This drive of drum B from drum A is fully shown and described in my aforesaid Patent No. 2,124,838, and more especially Fig. 7 thereof; and for that reason is not repeated here.

To render the above described means for throwing the pawls 16 into and out of Working engagement with their respective ratchets 15, it is necessary to apply a friction drag to the friction discs 14. Also, to maintain the band taut as it is wound back and forth between the two reels, it is necessary to apply a light drag to the unwinding reel. To fulfill these oflices, I employ in association with each drum 2. pair of aov'aoov friction drags which, in the instance shown, take the form of ordinary sewing machine tensions. Refer-ring to Figs. and 12, mounted on a bracket 8I attached to the inner side of the frame plate 38 are a pair of relatively off-set shafts 82 and 83 on which are slidably mounted clamp discs 84 and 85 embracing the peripheral portions of the disc 48 or 88 and the friction disc I4, respectively and pressed into clamping engagement by a spring 85. This friction drag is identical with that disclosed in my Patent No. 2,124,838.

By reason of the above described drives, each pawl 1 8 undergoes a limited body movement as its nose is thrown into or out of engagement with 1 its cooperating ratchet by the cam slot I8 and pin 88, so that, when the winding of the band is reversed, the pawl of the unwinding drum is drawn out of engagement with its ratchet beinto engagement with its ratchet, thus avoiding any breaking strain on the band. As the band is wound on one drum it idly rotates the other drum, being maintained taut by thev friction 84; and the friction drag on the discs I4 by the friction v85 ensures the cooperation of the pins 88 and their cam slots 18 in applying and retracting the pawls.

Since the drum A is positively driven during its hand winding movement by and from the knob I have provided an automatic detent device to arrest such band winding movement when the band has been entirely unwound from drum B, in order to prevent possible rupture of the band by a further winding movement of drum A. This device is also taken from a similar device disclosed in my former patent aforesaid, with a slight modification to adapt it to a drum instead of a reel. Referring to Figs. 5, 6 and 11, pivoted at 87 on the frame plate 38 is a depending dog 88 having a lateral tooth 89 on its lower end that cooperates with the peripheral ratchet 4% of the disc 48 of drum A. Pivoted to the dog Mat 88 is a link bar 98, the other end of which is pivoted at 82 to a depending lever 93 hung from a pivot 94 in the frame plate 38 and carrying on its lower end a lateral stud 95 on which is journaled a roller 96. As shown in Fig. 11, the body of the drum B is formed with a segmental depression 9'! that lies in the path of the roller 98. A pul1 spring 98 anchored at one end to the frame plate and at its other end to the link 95 maintains the roller 98 in rolling engagement with the portion of the band wound on the drum B, the tooth 89 of dog 88 being held out of engagement with the ratchet teeth d9 so long as the roller 95 is engaged with the unwinding roll of the band on drum B. The instant, however, the roller 88 rides oif the end of the band and drops into the depression 97 of the drum body, the spring 93 shifts the parts to the left, viewing Fig. 5, carrying the tooth of the dog 88 into engagement with the ratchet teeth 49, which looks drum A against further band winding movement. When the direction of drive of the band is reversed, the roller 96 is forced out of the depression 91, and this retracts the dog 88 from the ratchet teeth 49. It is not necessary to apply a similar detent device to the drum B, because that drum is driven by the belt 82, and if the winding movement of the drum B is carried too far, so as to create a pull on band C when the latter can travel no further, belt 62 will slip on the pulleys before the tension on the band is sufiicient to rupture the latter.

The present 'inventionincludes an improve and simplified shutter mechanism by which the :answer sight opening 39 is covered on the initial turning movement of the knob 88 and, on the deposit of .a coin, "is exposed to View. This :mechanism is shown in Figs. 1 to .5 inclusive, .7 .and '8. On'the rear side oftheilower portion of the frame plate 38 is a rearwardly extending forked bracket '99, between the arms of which is pivoted on a pin .1188 the lower end .of :an upstanding arm I8l "that (carries 1011 its upper end a rectangularly :bent shutter plate sI-82 that moves forwardly and :rearwardly across the answer sight opening 39. Arm HH and its shutter 1182 are biased by gravity to the open position shown in Fig. 4. On one edge of the arm I81 'is an integral forwardly extending lug ilfliithatzregisters with a slot I8 8 in the frame plate When the arm I8I and its shutter I82 are in the closing position shown in Fig. 3,.they are locked in such position bya latch bar ;Ii85 that is pivoted at 18.8 on the upright arm .-I8I and extends through and beyond .a lower slot 1'81 in the frame plate .38, and on the lower edge of the latch bar I85 is a notch I88 that normally engages with the lower edge of the slot iHl'l under the urge of gravity and a pull spring L88 anchored at :IIil to the back of the arm :Idl and .connected at III to the rear end of the latch bar L; 'PiVOted at H12 (Fig. '7)

to the frame plate 38 is a lever I I3 lying on the outer side of the plane of the star wheel cam l8, as shown in Fig. 8, and this lever carries a pin H4 on which is journaled a roller II5 that is urged upwardly in contact with the teeth of the camfl'iO by a pull spring H8. The other end of lever II3 lies beneath and crosswise of the lug I83 on the arm I-8I. As shown in Figs. 2,-3 and 4, the inner end of the coin-actuated trip lever I9 extends crosswise of and beneath the latch bar I85.

A cycle of operation of the apparatus may be briefly described as follows:

With the parts in the unlocked and shifted position shown in Fig. 4 (which is the position in which the parts have been left by its previous operation), the next person using the apparatus stands on the platform and first, by turning the knob 81, rotates the cam 18, (in one direction or'the other). This raises the end of lever H3 that, at that time, underlies the lug I83, so that the initial turning movement of the knob shifts the arm WI and its shutter I82 to the position shown in Fig. 3, thus occluding the answer opening 38. This also causes the latch I85 to drop, under the urge of gravity and spring I89, into the locking position shown in Fig. ,3. Continued turning of the knob to any extent in either direction starts the band movement and brings the desired question opposite the then closed answer opening without disturbing the set position of the parts as shown in Fig. 3, since the lever '3 can then rise and fall idly past the. inner end of lug I83, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. Said next person then drops a coin in the chute. This releases the weight indicating mechanism by tilting the weight detent lever I9 out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 28, thus showing the user his weight, and at the same time the detent lever I9 raises the latch I85 out of locking position (Fig. 4) so that the arm WI and its shutter I82 drop back by gravity to the position shown in Fig. 4, fully exposing the answer opening 38.

The lost motion drive between the ratchets I5 and their respective drums (represented by the pins 11 and the arcuate slots 18 in the discs 48 and 48) is not indispensable to the operativeness of the apparatus, but is preferably employed because it delays the band movement until after the answer opening has been fully cluded by the movement of the shutter to its locked position, so that no free answers to new questions are obtainable.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, I wish it to be understood that details of the constructions shown may be modified, without departing from the principle of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus of the class described having a band supporting and winding mechanism, including a pair of drums on and between which the band is wound, a drum mounting comprising a shaft, a plate on said shaft, a circular group of rods secured at one end to said plate and encircling said shaft, and a drum formed witha cylindrical body and a head slidable over said group of rods and a head slidable on said shaft, said last named head having a circular group of key-hole slots, and the other ends of said rods having heads of a size to pass through the circular portions of said slots and necks of a size to engage with the narrow portions of said slots under a relative turning movement of said last named drum head and group of rods.

2. In combination with the subject-matter defined in claim 1, means mounted on the last named drum head and cooperating with one of the circular group of rods preventing accidental back turning of said drum head when the latter has been interlocked with the group of rods.

3. In combination with the subject-matter defined in claim 1, a guard strip mounted on the last named drum head and having a hole encircling the head of one of the circular group of rods to prevent accidental back turning of said drum head when the latter has been interlocked with the group of rods.

4. In an apparatus of the class described having a band supporting and winding mechanism, in cluding a pair of parallel shafts, and drums respectively mounted on said shafts on and between which drum the band is wound, shaft supporting means comprising a frame plate in which corresponding ends of both shafts are mounted, a pair of independent frame plates parallel with and spaced from said first mentioned frame plate in which the other ends of said shafts are respectively mounted, and bolts connecting and spacing said first mentioned frame plate and each of said independent frame plates, whereby either of said independent frame plates may be removed without disturbing the other.

5 In an apparatus of the class described including a casing having a sight opening in a wall thereof, a band movable adjacent said opening and carrying indicia visible through said opening, means for moving said band, shutter mechanism comprising an upright arm. pivoted at its lower end and carrying on its upper end a shutter movable across said sight opening, said arm and shutter being biased to a position uncovering said opening, and means actuated by the aforesaid band moving means for swinging said arm and shutter to a position covering said opening.

6. In combination with the subject-matter delined in claim 5, a latch member automatically operating to hold the arm and shutter in opening covering position.

7. In combination with the subject-matter defined in claim 5, a latch member automatically operating to hold the arm and shutter in opening covering position, and means for releasing said latch member.

8. In an apparatus of the class described including a casing having a sight opening in a wall thereof, a band carrying indicia visible through said opening, means for moving said band, shutter mechanism comprising an upright arm pivoted at its lower end and carrying on its upper end a shutter movable across said sight opening, said arm and shutter being biased to a position uncovering said opening, a laterally projecting lug on said arm, a star cam rotatable in either direction by the aforesaid drum turning means, a lever carrying a roller cooperating with said cam, said lever having an arm thereof lying crosswise of and beneath said lug, and a spring acting through said lever to press said roller against the periphery of said cam; said parts being so organized that when said, lever is rocked by said cam it lifts said lug and thereby swings said arm and shutter to a position covering said opening.

9. In combination with the subject-matter defined in claim 8, a pivoted latch member automatically operating, when the arm and shutter are swung to opening covering position, to lock them in said position, and a lever for raising and releasing said pivoted latch member.

10. In an apparatus of the class described having a band supporting and winding mechanism, including a pair of horizontal drums on and between which the band is Wound, a drum mounting comprising a horizontal shaft, a plate rotatable on said shaft, means confining said plate against lateral movement lengthwise of said shaft, a drive for said plate, a circular group of rods secured at one end to said plate and encircling said shaft parallel with the latter, and a drum formed with a hollow cylindrical body and a head slidable over said group of rods and a head slidable on said shaft, said last named head and the other ends of said rods having means separably interlocking them with each other.

11. In an apparatus of the class described having a band supporting and winding mechanism, including a pair of horizontal drums on and between which the band is wound, a drum mounting comprising a horizontal shaft, a plate rotatable on said shaft, means confining said plate against lateral movement lengthwise of said shaft, a drive for said plate, a circular group of rods secured at one end to, and projecting laterally of, said plate around and parallel with said shaft, and a hollow drum slidable endwise over said group of rods, said drum comprising a hollow cylindrical body encircling said group of rods, an annular head encircling one end of, and slidable over, said group of rods and secured to one end of said body, and a head secured to the other end of said body, said last named head and the other ends of said rods having means separably interlocking them with each other.

BURNS S. WATLING. 

